The Kids Aren't Alright
by lacksley
Summary: She's your best friend, which is why you don't give it a second thought when your dad starts tearing up the place. In the aftermath of James' disappearance, certain realizations come to light that changes Amata's perspective. Originally posted on AO3


She's your best friend, which is why you don't give it a second thought when your dad starts tearing up the place.

You run to her home, James really is gone, and she's asleep. She wakes, and when your face comes into focus, that same sad expression she's had for years forms. But she agrees with you.

You run to find your father, to stall him because he would never hurt you. But he would hurt you. He _would_ hurt her. You are pulled into the security office and there's your father.

There's the man that used to be your father.

He and his cronies begin to interrogate you, and out of the corner of your eye you see her sneak past. Minutes later, she comes in with a baseball bat and _crack!_ against Officer Mack's head. He falls to the floor without so much as a groan. She points the bat at your father next, and though his face twists into an ugly sneer, he does nothing. She reaches her hand out and you take it, and together you run to your father's office and down the secret stairwell.

"I thought you might leave me in there," you mumble. She looks back at you.

"I'd never do that, Amata." A loud crash and shouting sounds from behind you, but that's not why your heart skips a beat.

You both reach the exit, and you stop. She crosses to the console and mashes the controls until the large steel door begins to creak and move.

"Here we are. Now get out of here before they find you." She grips your shoulders.

"You should come with me." You shake your head.

"I'm not as tough as you, you know that. And if you ever wanted to come back, if you ever _could_ come back, I don't think my father would forgive you for 'kidnapping' me."

"Amata… you want to leave just as much as I do." Again, you shake your head. You can't look her in the eye. You hear boots on the stairwell.

"Please hurry, before they get here." You manage to look up at her. She's near tears.

This is goodbye. You both know it. You open your mouth to tell her to leave again. Before you can speak, she crushes her mouth against yours.

Surprise. Shock? Your eyes widen, your mind commits to memory the feel of her lips pressing against yours. A shout from the hidden door and she tears away. Your father and a few security officers are boiling out of the small side room. She runs toward the open door, into the cavern, and you unwittingly follow her. Like you are floating a few inches off the ground. But you can't bring yourself to cross the threshold, and neither can the security officers.

She looks over her shoulder like she was expecting you to follow her, and as the vault door rolls back into place you see that same sad expression she's always had one last time.

The memory of her haunts you over the following weeks, and as things get bad, you think about all the times she probably almost kissed you. All the times she grabbed your hand and pulled you along behind her.

After she left, you realize how big of a part of your life she had actually been.

When bad finally can only be called worse, the rebels rig up the old PA system to broadcast a help signal.

You hope she hears it. That she's out there, nearby, if not safe then _alive._

She comes back, to your relief. A feeling of mixed up joy and embarrassment fills up your chest and makes your face burn when she stands next to you at what has been designated as "the planning table."

When the miraculous happens, when she talks down your father and opens the vault to the world, you want her to kiss you again.

You almost do.

But you know your place is with the newly-liberated vault. Butch and a few others plan to leave with her, and you survey the clean up of the chaos as the new overseer.

You find her in her father's former office a few hours before the group plans to leave.

"Have you found him?" you ask, realizing you haven't had the chance since she calmed the storm.

"I'm close." She reaches out to take the framed quote from the wall, tucking it away in her pack.

"I hope you do. If you need anything…" You can't finish your sentence. She turned towards you and now the two of you are face to face, noses almost bumping. Your mouth goes dry.

She glances towards the door, and you realize you're in her way but you can't move.

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you—" You look away, pressing a hand to your mouth. She sighs.

"Long enough. But… it's okay." She puts a hand on your shoulder briefly, and pushes past you. "It's been good seeing you."

Before you can stop yourself, your arms are around her, squeezing her tight. You hope the pressure can say the words you consistently fail to find, understand the feelings jumbled up in your head and your heart.

"Come and visit me," you whisper into her shoulder.

"You couldn't stop me if you tried."

The entire vault ventures outside for the first time to see them off. The sun burns orange on the horizon, sinking beneath the brown hills and ruined skyscrapers. The fresh air fills your lungs and you know the smell of metal will follow you around the vault for the rest of your life.

The small group descends the overlook, stumbling over rocks like small children taking their first steps. She's taking them to Megaton, a friendly settlement nearby. Just before she left, she pointed out the jagged metal structure in the distance, and though everyone is waving goodbye or marveling at the enormous world around them, your eyes are trained on one person.

Her eyes flash gold in the sunset as she turns around, giving you one more sad expression before the small group disappears beyond the hills.

* * *

Title taken from the Fall Out Boy song of the same name.


End file.
